ESPN outs WatchESPN app for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch

ESPN has announced that its new WatchESPN application is now available for iOS devices including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The free app provides content from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3.com to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, and Verizon FIOS TV customers, and allows subscribers of those networks to stream content on their iOS devices. After installing the app, you’ll need to provide your cable subscriber credentials before accessing the goods. ESPN says that a version that’s specifically optimized for the iPad will launch – for free – in May. It also has plans to launch on other smartphones and tablets in the future, which suggests that an Android version is in the works. Hit the jump for the full release.

NEW YORK, N.Y. – April 7, 2011 – ESPN announced today its flagship network ESPN as well as ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com are now available to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers via the new ‘WatchESPN’ App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, now available on the App Store.

In time for the early rounds of the Masters, the NBA Playoffs and the beginning of the Major League Baseball season, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers who receive the linear networks as part of their video subscription can now watch the channels from the convenience of their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

“Innovation continues to drive ESPN,” said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports. “When we launched in 1979, nobody envisioned a day when people would carry ESPN in their pockets. But here we are. And we’ve reached this watershed moment for the industry through tremendous collaboration with forward-thinking partners.”

The free WatchESPN App includes a simple user interface that takes the current online viewing experience to the high-resolution, Multi-Touch displays of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Once a user downloads WatchESPN from the App Store, they will receive instructions to enter their cable subscriber credentials and access their favorite ESPN content on their device. A version of the application optimized for the Apple iPad will be available free to download in May.

Added Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing for ESPN, “This represents the culmination of our efforts over the last five years. We strive to serve the sports fan wherever they consume sports, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than making our networks available to fans whenever and wherever they might be.”

The company first launched an online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN in October, 2010. Authenticated versions of ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line launched in January, 2011. Consumers can access the channels through a centralized website, ESPNnetworks.com.

The WatchESPN App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

The App will be available on other smartphones and tablets in the near future.

just download the app and put in your zip code tells you all the local providers and whether or not your eligible, also you can not register and just put in an email and you can watch 4hrs unverified, so if there is something you need to watch just put in some random info and enjoy.

Terminal1400

That’s good info. A sort of free “trial” period, if you will…
Thanks,

http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

Where is the DROID app?

Guest

Need for Apple TV.

Wavmogun

ummmmm….Where is Comcast???

Anonymous

i 2nd that

Anonymous

I still don’t get why ESPN wouldn’t offer this to everyone for free. It should make no difference to them if people watch on a TV or on a phone/ipad/computer. They could still show the exact same commercials. They would actually be able to show more commercials because they wouldn’t have to waste ad time on the cable companies local commercials.

I don’t know much about the TV industry, so I could be extremely off on this, but I just don’t get it. I really think ESPN would reach more people by doing this. Maybe it’s against their contracts with cable providers or some bullshit like that.

http://twitter.com/catlike1 Ed Liu

They do this because they actually get a lot of money from the fee cable companies pay to carry their channels. Making it available to everyone would reduce the incentive for people to keep their cable TV subscriptions, and their cable partners would get mad (and try to negotiate smaller fees). That’s why this is limited to certain cable providers. Also, live sports is one of the few reasons to keep subscribing it cable. You can get lots of TV content online through Hulu, Netflix, and networks’ websites, but without cable you miss a lot of sports. This is also why the online channel ESPN3 is open to everyone. It depends on your cable provider.

Now if all mobile carriers started paying ESPN for rights to stream the channel, then ESPN probably wouldn’t care who paid the fees (cable companies or mobile carrier).

I agree I would love to be able to watch ESPN on any device.

Anonymous

ESPN does this b/c they want ALL TV companies to know how much of demand they are and making TV people pay for all their services tells ESPN just that